A rare but dangerous form of breast cancer It’s on the rise in the U.S., a new report says.
The incidence of lobular breast cancer is increasing three times faster than all other breast cancers combined. 2.8% per year versus 0.8% per year, the researchers reported Tuesday in the journal. cancer.
“Lobular breast cancer accounts for just over 10% of all breast cancers, but the number of new diagnoses each year makes it important to understand this disease,” he said. Angela GiaquintoAssociate Scientist for Cancer Surveillance Research at the American Cancer Society.
“It also highlights the urgent need for prevention and early detection strategies targeting this subtype, as survival rates beyond seven years for lobular breast cancer are significantly lower than for the most common types of breast cancer,” Giaquinto added in the press release.
Lobular breast cancer develops in milk-producing glands in the breast called lobules, the researchers said in a background note.
These forms of breast cancer are usually lumped together with ductal carcinoma (cancer that arises in milk ducts), which is the most common subtype, researchers said.
But it appears and grows in a different way than other breast cancers, researchers said.
For example, lobular cancer grows in a dispersed pattern rather than forming lumps typical of other breast cancers, which can delay diagnosis.
For the new report, researchers analyzed data from cancer surveillance programs and registries to track lobular breast cancer in the United States.
The researchers found that lobular breast cancer cases increased most steeply among Asian American/Pacific Islander women, increasing by 4.4% per year.
The incidence of lobular breast cancer among white women is nearly 15 cases per 100,000 women, and the highest among black women at 11 cases per 100,000 women.
Compared to ductal cancer, lobular cancer has a slightly higher survival rate in the first seven years after diagnosis, as well as for cancers discovered before they have spread, the researchers said.
However, the 10-year survival rate was lower for women whose lobular breast cancer had spread to lymph nodes or nearby organs (78% vs. 76%) or whose cancer had spread to other parts of the body (20% vs. 12%).
“Infiltrative lobular breast cancer is very understudied because the short-term prognosis is very good. However, after 10 years, women with metastatic disease have about half the chance of survival compared to patients with ductal cancer, possibly due to its unique spread and resistance to treatment,” the senior researcher said. Rebecca SiegelHe is the Senior Scientific Director of Cancer Surveillance Research at ACS.
“Our study highlights the need for more information about lobular cancer overall, from genetic studies to clinical trial data, so we can improve outcomes for the growing number of women with this cancer,” Siegel concluded. From a press release.
Additional information
The National Breast Cancer Foundation has more information. lobular breast cancer.
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